Clutch.



PATENTED APR. 18; 1905.

A W. CASH.

GLUTGH.

APPLICATION 311.31) 00124, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR:

' 7 ATTORNEY PATENTED' APR. 18, 1905. A. w. CASH. w

GLUTGH.

WITNESSES;

I Q M mm Patented A ril 153, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR WV. CASH, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

- CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,726, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed October 24,1904. Serial No. 229.711.

1'0 alt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. CASH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked th ereon, which form a part of this specification.

1n operating steam, gas, or explosive engines it is often desirable to permit the piston and cooperating working connections to acquire a high speed before coupling them to the driven connections. This is particularly true of gas-engines, in which the main shaft and its piston and heavy balance-wheel must be rotated at first by hand or other initial motive means, so that all unnecessary friction or resistance is best avoided as far as possible. After such engine has been fairly started and attained a full or high speed the lineshaft with its load is gradually thrown into connection by means of a friction-clutch, but with more or less of an injurious shock upon the working parts.

The object of my invention is to provide a more durable and effective clutch, to reduce the cost of construction, render the clutching operation more simple and easy, permit an easy interchange of pulleys, so that a pulley best adapted for the particular work required may be applied without changing the speed of the engine, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved clutch and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring 'to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a sectional view of my improved clutch applied to an engine. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modification of construction. Figs. 3 and 1 are transverse sections in the line of certain wedge-pins, the sections being taken through Figs. 2 and 1, respectively.

In said drawings, 5 indicates the main power-shaft of an engine 6, and 7 represents a conical clutch member fastened to said main power-shaft by means of a spline, key, or a like fastener 8 and having a hollow stud 9, on which a second clutch member 10 has its bearings and is adapted to rotate with the driving-pulley 11, the said driving-pulley being seated on the hub 12 of said second clutch member and held thereto by a spline or key or thread 13 in any suitable manner.

Within the hollow stud 9 is a bearing 14 for the power-shaft and a chamber 15 for lubricant, said chamber being in communication with the outside through a lubricant-supply passage 16 at the end of the stud. The periphery of the stud 9 at or near its projecting extremity is threaded, as at 17, and thus adapted to receive a nut 18, having inclined interior bearings 181 for a split ring 19, having beveled sides 21 and oppositely-beveled ends 22. Said nut after adjustment may be locked on the threaded end of the stud 9 by a set-screw 20, and said nut extends, as at 23, over said split ring to conceal the same and protect the aperture between the ends thereof from dirt. At the extremity of the hollow stud the bore or chamber therein is considerably reduced in diameter, as at 2 L,.to receive a cam-pin 25 of the clutch-operating handle 26, said pin being either movable longitudinally in said bore or chamber, as indicated in Fig. 1, or rotating therein when operated, as in Fig. 2. The cam 27 of said pin may be an eccentric, as in Figs. 2 and 3, or may extend lengthwise of the pin and operate as a wedge, as indicated in Fig. 1. The longitu dinal cam is preferably formed by longitudinally grooving the pin, the bottom of the groove being inclined, as shown, so that the said groove at the inwardly-p'rojectingend of the pin is "deeper than at a point thereon Said cam-pin 25 engages near the handle.

a wedge-pin 28, the inclined sides of which enter. between the ends of the split ring 19, and thus tend to force said ends apart when the wedge is moved toward the ring. The split ring 19 is preferably resilient, and thus when pressure of the cam 27 on the wedgepin 28 is removed the ring tends to close against the inclined sides of the wedge-pin and force the latter against the cam-pin. The expansion of the split ring 19 against the inclined sides of the nut 18 and the inclined end of the hub 12 tends to force said hub longitudinally on the hollow stud 9 and the fric-' tion-flange 30 of the clutch member 10 hard against the frictional surface of the clutch member 7 I am aware that Various modifications of my invention may be made other than those above specifically referred to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself by the positive descriptive.

expressions above employed excepting as the prior state of the art may require.

In operating the device the handle 26 is worked by hand to effect a movement of the cam-pin and a longitudinal movement of the wedge-pin toward the ends of the split ring. The said ring is thus enlarged in diameter, and its inclined sides wedging between the nut 18 and the end of the sliding hub 9 forces said hub and the flange therewith connected against the member 7, effecting a frictional connection such as will secure a transfer of the power and movement from the main shaft 5 to the driving-pulley 11. On reversing the movement of the handle 26 the spring-power of the split ring throws the wedge-pin 28 in a direction away from the ends of said split ring, and the said ring thus draws away the inclined walls or surfaces of the nut and hub and releases the flange 30 from frictional contact with the clutch member 7, so that power is no longer transmitted to the drivingpulley.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination with the power-shaft and its clutch member and stud, of a drivingpulley, a cooperative clutch member and a hub arranged on said stud, a split ring engaging the end of said hub, and means for expanding said ring and forcing said hub lengthwise of said stud, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with'the power-shaft and its clutch member and stud, of a drivingpulley having a cooperating clutch member and a hub arranged on said stud, a split ring having an inclined side engaging the end of said hub, and awedge for expanding said ring and forcing said hub lengthwise of said stud.

3. The combination with the power-shaft and its clutch member and stud, of adrivingpulley having a cooperating clutch member and a hub arranged on said stud, a split ring having an inclined side engagingthe end of said hub, anda wedge and cam for expanding said ring and forcing-said hub lengthwise of said stud.

4. In a clutch, the combination with the clutching members, of a split ring interposed between said members and provided with an inclined side, a wedge-pin inserted between the ends of said split ring and a cam for moving said wedge-pin in the direction of the longer axis of said pin and spreading the ends farther apart, substantially as set forth.

5. In a clutch, the combination with the clutching members, of a resilient split ring interposed between said members and provided with an inclined side, a wedge-pin inserted between the ends of said split ring, and a cam for moving said wedge-pin and spreading the ends farther apart, substantially as set forth.

6'. In a clutch, the combination with the clutching members, of a split ring interposed between said members and having inclined sides engaging the said members to move the same into clutching relation, a wedge-pin inserted between the ends of said split ring, and a handled cam-pin for moving said wedge-pin and spreading the ends farther apart, substantially as set forth.

7. In a clutch, the combination with the clutching members, of a split ring interposed between said members and having its sides inclined to effect a movement of the members toward clutching relation, a wedge-pin for speading the ends of said split ring farther apart and driving the said members into clutching engagement and a handled cam for moving the wedge-pin.

8. The combination with a clutch member having a stud and a wedge-pin arranged therein, of a second clutch member having a hub on said stud, a nut on said stud, a split ring arranged on said stud between said nut and hub,

said ringhavinginclined sides, the said wedgepin extending between the ends of said split ring, and a handled cam for operating said wedge-pin. i 9. The combination with a'clutch member havinga stud and a wedge-pin arranged therein, of a second clutch member having a hub on said stud, a nut on said stud, a split ring arranged on said stud between said nut and hub, said ring havinginclined sides, the said wedgepin extending between the ends of said split ring, and a handled cam-pin inserted in said stud and engaging the wedge-pin, said campin having a longitudinal groove with an inclined bottom for operating said wedge-pin.

10. The combination with a clutch member having a stud and awedge-pin arranged there and having an extension Within which a split In testimony that I claim the foregoing I ring may lie concealed, a split ring arranged have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of on said stud between said nut and hub,'said October, 1904:. ring having inclined sides, the said Wedge-pin extending between the ends of said splitring Witnesses:

and a handled cam for operating said Wedge- FREDK. H. FAIRWEATHER, pin. CHARLES H. PELL.

ARTHUR W. CASH. 

